England batters 'not fit' for the highest level: Paul Newman

Former England First-class cricketer Paul Newman has castigated the England batting line-up, saying that it is "not fit" for the "highest level" of the game, and that only skipper Joe Root and Dawid Malan are the notable exception.

England's batting flops in the two Ashes games so far have seen the tourists succumb to a nine-wicket defeat in the opening Test at The Gabba and are now staring at an almost-certain defeat in the second Test currently underway at the Adelaide Oval.

The cricket expert also said that it was an irony that the bowlers had to bear the brunt for the losses, as they are the ones who get axed.

"It is one of cricket's great truisms that whenever a team lose because of bad batting they change the bowlers. And it has never been truer than with England in the Ashes. Batting that is not fit for purpose at the highest level, with the notable exception of Joe Root and latterly Dawid Malan, is the overwhelming reason why England were set to go two down after the second Test and with it squander any realistic hopes of lifting the urn," said Newman in his column for the Daily Mail on Monday.

The 62-year-old Newman who played 135 First-class games, predominantly as a right-arm fast bowler, also added that opener Rory Burns has "epitomised England's struggles with the bat".

In the Adelaide Test, Burns has managed only four and an unbeaten 34 so far, while during the Gabba Test, the opener was out first ball to Pat Cummins for a duck and made 13 in the second innings.

Haseeb Hameed hasn't fared any better with Burns's opening partner scoring 25 and 27 in the first Test, while in the Adelaide Test he could manage only six and a duck.

"The problem in this Ashes is that England simply do not look capable of putting any sort of scoreboard pressure on Australia, even when facing an attack lacking their two best seamers in Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood. And with their other leading seamer in Mitchell Starc seemingly nursing a back injury," added Newman.

Newman said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should thoroughly examine the domestic structure and see why good batters weren't coming from the stables.

"They are valid issues but the inquest that will soon engulf English cricket at the loss of yet another Ashes must centre on why the domestic game cannot produce batters capable of producing the technique and discipline required in red-ball cricket."

He concluded by saying that England's success in white-ball cricket had come at the expense of the game they are traditionally good at, which is Test cricket.

"The problem, of course, is that England's understandable desire to overhaul their white-ball cricket after the ignominy of the 2015 World Cup campaign has come at the complete expense of what they are traditionally good at –Test cricket."

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